I mentioned after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend that one of the books I began reading was The Dyer’s Hand by W. H. Auden. I have only read the first two essays thus far. These essays are titled, “Reading” and “Writing.” The are not essays in the proper sense, rather they are mostly a series of wonderful aphorisms that build on one another with the occasional paragraph sandwiched between. And a meme. Or what could be a meme.
I realized after reading them that a good many of the aphorisms would make great writing prompts of a kind for blog posts. And that potential meme is also lurking. So you will see Auden quotes/prompts appearing now and then in the coming weeks.
For tonight’s inaugural, I chose something that wouldn’t take deep thought because it is Thursday and my brain power is waning. Without further ado, Mr. Auden will get me started:
Attacking bad books is not only a waste of time but also bad for the character. If I find a book really bad, the only interest I can derive from writing about it has to come from myself, from such display of intelligence, with and malice as I can contrive. One cannot review a bad book without showing off.
I have to admit that for the longest time I have been harboring a silent resentment against book review policies that refuse to review bad books. I figured that if a book is bad, I want to know it so I don’t buy it and waste both my time and money on it. Plus I thought that reviewers were somehow being overly concerned about being “nice.” If one reads a book and doesn’t like it, there is certainly a way to talk about it without being mean and snarky.
But Auden made the lightbulb go on. Oh, I get it! It’s not a matter of “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all” which would have surprised me, especially in America, especially from New York-based review sources. What it’s about is wasting space on a bad book when the space would be so much better utilized by an essay about a great book everyone should run to the library or bookstore and read.
Books appearing in reviews are being (mostly) recognized for their worthiness to be read. A book that doesn’t get reviewed, we might be able to assume, means that it is bad. Except that isn’t the case.
There are so many books that are published every year, even among the good ones a lot do not get reviewed. Then there is the gender bias to consider. Books by men generally get reviewed more often than books by women. And books by minorities and books in translation, well they are reviewed even less frequently. So we can’t assume that because a book doesn’t get reviewed it is a bad book.
The only thing we can say about books that do get reviewed under a “we don’t write about bad books policy” is that they probably aren’t bad. About the books that don’t get reviewed, we are on our own. One of the wonderful things about so many bloggers writing about books is that they tend to fill in some of the gaps left by the big professional reviews.
Now, whether attacking a bad book is bad for the character, I suppose it could be. Bad books do make easy targets though and I can understand how it would be tempting to write about them in order to show off. And in showing off, one can begin to feel superior which could lead to all kinds of ugly places if a reviewer is the sort with a big ego.
So there it is. My silent resentment is no longer silent and no longer a resentment. I get the don’t write about bad books thing now. I may be slow sometimes, but I usually arrive eventually.
Thanks for another enlightening post. I was glad to learn about Nabokov’s essays and now Auden’s book. I really look forward to your posts and miss them if they are too long between!
I’m not sure where you stand on reviewing bad books.
Even a bad review doesn’t preclude someone from reading it or looking further into the book itself or the views of other reviewers.
Every reader reads differently. One person’s bad book is another person’s jewel.
There is also a way to review a book you feel is bad in a constructive fashion, pointing out errors, omissions, plagiarisms, etc., etc, that would be informative not snarky or rude.
I am currently reading a book by an author whose last book I read was one of the finest ever, that is to say, I liked it enormously. Yet his latest book is very disappointing, one I am prepared to say is a poor book and give my reasons for saying so.
Did Auden define what a ‘bad book’ is? As Richard said, “One person’s bad book is another person’s jewel.” I totally agree with this statement. I’m thinking of a few books that I honestly am not impressed but are being touted as marvels by others. Two examples: Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones and Room by Emma Donoghue. You see, I didn’t even bother spending a post on either of them. And I think you’ve said what I tend to do, not reviewing them means how little I favour them. I have so limited time in reading and writing about books that in a way, I’ve gradually adapted the practice of reviewing those I find worthwhile and want to share with others. Time, not character, is the main issue here.
I’m a book reviewer and once when I was sent a galley, the editor told me that I couldn’t pan the book. Needless to say, I didn’t very much care for the book so I gave it adismal review (not a nasty one though–there’s a difference!). The review wasn’t published. I was annoyed that I was told how the review should sway before the review publication and even more so, before I even received the galley. I also wasn’t happy that wasted my time on that miserable book. But thank you for sharing your feelings about the process.
Thanks for this wonderful post. I’ve been struggling with writing about a particlar book that, as Arti said, I’m just not impressed by. This is a book, as it happens, that has received a great deal of critical acclaim and that I’d been excited to read for a very long time. It’s not a “bad” book – it isn’t derivative or boring or even grammatically “off.” I just don’t like it. Glancing over at it inexplicably annoys me.
But should I write about that in my blog? Probably not.
That book, by the way, is “The God of Small Things” by Arundati Roy.
I really agree with you about this book, The God of Small Things. I have an erudite friend who recommended the book to me. She thought it was superb. I couldn’t finish it – and couldn’t figure out what I didn’t like about it!!
I can certainly understand individual bloggers not wanting to spend time working on a review for a book they didn’t much like, and I can understand print pubs, with their limited space, not wanting to waste it on a book that isn’t much good. But I do think unfavorable reviews provide a valuable service, especially when a book is much praised without much acknowledgements of its problems (keeping in mind that all of this is subjective).
For myself, I find the process of writing about books I don’t like to be tremendously helpful. Sometimes I realize that the fault is in me and not in the book–I don’t have the background knowledge for example. And sometimes the process of writing helps me uncover what works well in a book, and I end up admiring it more. I’ll cop to having written a snarky, superior review or three, and I don’t think such reviews are necessarily bad ones to write, although I’m not likely to read a blog where that was the primary style of discourse. I think going into a book loaded for bear and looking for something to snark on is more of a problem that calling out the problems when you find them.
I don’t buy Auden’s argument at all. “One can not review a bad book without showing off” is a ridiculous (and unsubstantiated) premise. Pointing out the flaws of something can be done with just as much humility as singing its praises if humility is what the reviewer is after, but more importantly Auden seems to be also suggesting that the reviewer should only be honest if he/she likes the work. Bad idea! Like Teresa, I understand bloggers and other reviewers who choose not to spend their time writing “negative” reviews. However, I can learn just as much about a critic or a work from a negative review as a positive one. Constructive criticism isn’t “bad for the character” as Auden suggests, and even unconstructive attack criticism can be entertaining (and maybe even informative) for the review reader or blog reader. In fact, I’ll take a potentially meanspirited review written with real passion over an overly-genteel, wishy washy response to a work (good, bad or indifferent) any day of the week!
Well, you’ve started a debate, Stefanie! lol Do I review bad books? Yes. Sometimes. I’m careful, though, or I try to be, sensitive to the idea that most of the time, the author has laboured over their book. I have to confess that most of the time I try to avoid bad books. The most recent bad book I read was Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. Great pace, awful dialogue!! Simply dreadful. That was before I had my blog, so I didn’t post about it. I’ve avoided every one of his books since then, too. And that’s what I would hope that an up front and honest book reviewer will do: steer me to books that are good and worth reading, and avoid the ones that aren’t worth my time.
I do take Auden’s point that going after a bad book can be demeaning to both the book and the critic. I think he’s right. I think it’s easy to get carried away with how awful something is, like something dark in us triumphs at another’s defeat, the bad writing, etc. I do think that bad books can be reviewed, with care.
I really look forward to your posts Stefanie. You have turned me into a real reading junkie. I read books on my kindle and I am now reading Margaret Atwoods :
The Handmaids tale and The blind assassian. I also enjoyed the two most recent books by Brian Selsnick.
Thanks for your awesome blog. I read probably one book a year before being turned on to your blog / So many Books !
I approach reviews with the main question in mind – what can I say that’s interesting about the book? How can I make an interesting read out of my thoughts? Which is probably very ego-centred as I’m thinking about me being able to do something that isn’t boring, rather than thinking about the book and how best to portray it When I was a proper literary critic, I would get very fed up with all the articles that spent 5,000 words explaining why another critic was wrong when he said x or y, or how come the device in A’s novel was not as original as other people felt it to be. It just seemed to me, reading that kind of thing, that my life was very, very short. So I’ve always found more interesting the approach that builds something intriguing out of the materials given, and that usually comes together better for me with a book I’ve enjoyed. I think there are lots of bloggers out there who write very judicious negative reviews. But it works better for me (she says, continuing the theme of egocentrism) when I’ve enjoyed what I read.
Kathleen, thanks so much for you rkind comment! I hope you find copies of both Nabokov and Auden and enjoy them both.
Richard, what I think about the matter is a post for another day
I do agree with, however. There are ways of talking about bad books and, as the saying goes, every book its reader. One person’s bad book is another’s treasure.
Arti, Auden does not define what he considers a bad book, though given Auden’s background and the fact that this book was published in the early 1960′s one can guess what he thinks is bad. It’s hard to not like books everyone else seems to be raving about isn’t it? I think there is a way to write about those books respectfully but it’s a lot harder than writing about books we love.
Acid Free Pulp, now that is disappointing. There is a big difference between not writing about bad books and reviewing books that aren’t good but not saying so. The latter is just plain dishonest. Good for you for being honest and boo on the editor for not accpeting it!
Loni, thanks for your thoughtful comment! I read that particular book for a book group and while I liked it, there were several in the group who didn’t. I think if you finished the book and don’t like it that it is perfectly fine to write about it and the reasons you didn’t like it. As long a reviewer is respectful and doesn’t attack the author of the book or the readers, it’s perfectly fine to “I know lots of people loved this book but I didn’t and here’s why…”
Teresa, well said and I completely argee with you. Pre-blogging when I attended a book group regularly there’d be times when I went to the discussion hating the book. but by the end of the evening I’d sometimes feel quite differently about it. If I am really not liking a book I don’t finish it and don’t generally write about it. But if I finish it, I will write about it. I’ve been snarky before too and regreted it afterwards, so these days I try to figure out what it was that I didn’t like and talk about it respectfully.
Richard, I don’t buy Auden’s argument on the not showing off front either. It is easier to show off in a meanspirited way when writing about a bad book but, as you say, writing about a bad books does not equate with showing off as Auden implies. Reviews that do nothing but praise a book are completely useless and shuts down genuine conversation. So I agree with you that negative reviews are useful and sometimes really snarky ones can be quite entertaining as long as it sticks to the text and doesn’t veer into personal attack.
Susan, I wasn’t expecting so many great comments! I think you and I have similar approaches to reviewing bad books. I also try to avoid bad books and should I find myself reading one, I generally don;t finish it and so generally don’t write about it. I agree that if one slips into being mean just for the sake of being mean it does not reflect well on the reviewer and while bad books be written about with care, as you say, it is all to easy to start making fun of them.
Roy, wow, thanks for you reallynice comment! I hope you enjoy the Atwoods. blind Assassin is one of my favorites of here.
Litlove, you, my friend, are one of the most gentle and generous reviewers ever. Your approach is quite successful I think because you really never fail to find something interesting in a book. I much prefer writing about books I enjoyed too. It is so much more fun.
I think the reviews about books we consider “bad” can be just as valuable as the great ones. If it’s just a matter of taste, your review might prompt another reader to pick up the book. I’ve actually had a reader tell me they wanted to look for a book I gave a poor review- simply liked all the things I dislike in a book! That said, I would never be nasty when writing about why I didn’t care for a certain book, it doesn’t have to be an attack. In fact, the posts about “bad” books are often downright amusing.
Hmm. I’m with you in that I appreciate reading about bad books, and I understand precious print space is better spent on good books, but I think something else that Auden is getting at is that good (well-written) reviews of bad books are less about the book than they are about the reviewer. I don’t think it’s necessarily showing off, but I believe it speaks to a reader’s/reviewer’s shortcomings or worldview or whatever circumstances as much as it does the author’s of said bad book. I happen to think that’s true of positive reviews as well, it’s just not as evident.
Interesting poet Stefanie. I don’t review “bad” books for two reasons: I try to avoid reading books I would find bad; and I only review books I finish and books that are really bad I don’t finish. However, this doesn’t mean that I unreservedly praise every book I read. I have read and reviewed books that I think miss something somewhere and I say so. BUT I am in the business of reading for enjoyment so my priority is to try to read books I will enjoy and to write about what I enjoy about them.
Interesting poet? How did that happen!? Of course, I meant “interesting post”.
Pingback: What is a Bad Book? « So Many Books
After the post I put up today – I had to come and see what yours was about.
If I can get through the book I will review good or bad… I always have said with my book club, the bad ones bring out the best discussions!
I know my reading tastes pretty well and tend to stay within my own comfort zone, so it’s likely the books I pick up to read I will like or like with a few reservations, which I try to always share in my posts (if something didn’t work for me–though I try and always do so in a non-snarky way). I agree with Richard that every reader is very different someone’s bad book might be a favorite of someone else. I can only say why something didn’t work for me–somehow I don’t feel qualified to totally pan a book and say it’s bad tell others unequivocally not to read it.
Jeane, I agree with you on all fronts. I think readers want to know about the flaws of a book. it helps us determine what to read. And sometimes, as you note, some readers can overlook the trouble another read had with a book.
Isabella, I find your comment about reviewers quite interesting. Discussing it could be a whole post. I do think you are on to something!
Whisperinggums, interesting poset, interesting post, I know what you mean
I try to avoid bad books too and if I end up with one I am so much better now than I used to be about not trudging my way to the end of it anyway. Too many good books to read instead!
Shelia, oh yes, bad books can result in excellent book group discussions!
Danielle, you are one of the kindest reviewers around. And I always appreciate the gentle manner in which you discuss your reading experience.
I understand what you’re saying about wasting time on bad books, but I want to tell you a little story. About 10 years ago I started a blog at webteacher.ws for the purpose of reviewing books about web design. There were many bad ones at the time. It was just at the beginning of the web standards movement and a lot of books available to teachers were sadly out of sync with the direction of the Internet.
I wrote many bad reviews when I first started Web Teacher. Gradually books have improved and I often find myself writing glowing reviews now.
Yet, for that particular topic, at that particular time, the bad reviews had to be written. The reasons why the books were bad had to be enumerated. The need for change had to be spotlighted.
I know you aren’t talking about tech books in your post, but I did want to give you a view of when bad reviews can be useful.